*1961 STRING QUARTET

The STRING QUARTET (1963) was an exercise set by my teacher and mentor Ton de Leeuw. Till recently it was the only work in the genre I wrote. This was entirely due to circumstances because I feel great affinity with the ensemble and always wanted to experiment further into the realm of string quartet playing if the opportunity arose. My Piano Quintet (1999) is the nearest I got to writing for a small string ensemble and a composition for string orchestra is still on the cards. It should be remembered that I was still a ‘student’ when I wrote the string quartet and struggling with both content, form and technique. When the Gaudeamus String Quartet gave it a few performances in the sixties, I was fascinated to hear it ‘work’ in the context of a concert audience, but at the same time discovering that there was a lot more to learn…

Meanwhile, in 2007 both he Mondriaan Quartet and the Rubens Quartet suddenly approached me for new works which resulted in Manitou and Critical Mass.